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Coach Schafer’s Notes for 2/23/2023

Clarkson 4, @CORNELL 3 … BOX SCORE | GAME RECAP| HIGHLIGHTS
St. Lawrence 1, @CORNELL 0 … BOX SCORE | GAME RECAP | HIGHLIGHTS

This should have been a weekend to remember. We had alumni return from the two Frozen Four teams and Saturday was Senior Night to honor our players who have contributed so much to the success of our program. Well, it wasn’t.

It was frustrating with all the scoring chances we created that a better result didn’t happen. On Friday night, we had so many offensive opportunities, wide-open nets and a shot off the cross bar. You have to give Clarkson credit for capitalizing on their chances.

The visitors took a 1-0 lead at 9:54 of the first period, but before the period was over at 13:58, we tied the score. Senior forward Jack Malone scored his fourth goal in as many games when his one-timer from the middle of the slot found the back of the net. In the second period at 6:10, we went on top, 2-1, when senior forward Ben Berard wristed the puck past the goaltender’s blocker.

Clarkson responded with a goal at 12:53 to knot the score at 2-2. While we were killing a 5-minute major penalty, they took a 3-2 lead at 17:55, which hurt us in many ways and we went into the third period down a goal. Berard scored his second goal of the game midway through the final period, copying the pattern of his first score but this time on the power play. But, just under two minutes later, the Golden Knights converted a rebound while working on the power play. Later, we had a great chance to tie the game but freshman forward Dalton Bancroft’s rebound shot clanked off the cross bar. Late in the period we pulled our goaltender for an extra skater and had a number of excellent scoring chances but to no avail.

Sophomore goaltender Ian Shane had 15 saves and the Clarkson goalie stopped 24 shots. We were 1-for-5 on the power play and the visitors were 2-for-4.


On Saturday evening, in front of another sold out crowd, we lost 1-0 at Lynah Rink – something we hadn’t done since 2015! We dominated the first period with 12 shots on goal, while holding the visitors to five. We continued to apply pressure in the second stanza, especially on a middle-period power-play opportunity, but after 40 minutes of play, it was still 0-0.

Both teams had offensive chances in the third period and we even had a power-play opportunity. With 2:45 left in the game, the visitors scored on an odd-man rush to secure the 1-0 victory. Once again, we pulled Ian with less than two minutes remaining but couldn’t send the game into overtime.

Shane made 16 saves in goal and the St. Lawrence goalie stopped 28 shots. We were 0-for-3 on the power play and the Saints were 0-for-1. It was a tough night for our eight seniors who played their last regular-season game in front of the Lynah Faithful. It’s so frustrating with all the scoring chances that a better result didn’t happen.

Next week, we finish the regular season on the road against Brown and Yale. Please join us if you are in these areas.

We have clinched a bye in the first round of the ECAC playoffs and will play a best-of-three series on March 10-12 at Lynah Rink against an opponent to be determined. We hope to shake off the bad puck-luck around the net before playoffs and capitalize on our opportunities.

Mike Schafer